Electroplating baths are subject to process fluctuations that have a considerable influence on the deposition behavior and resulting coating thickness. This is exactly where measurement technology expert Helmut Fischer comes in. The new inline measuring device FISCHERSCOPE® XAN® LIQUID ANALYZER is based on the X-ray fluorescence method (XRF) and enables fully automatic and continuous analysis of the metal concentration of up to four electroplating baths, with highest measuring precision unique on the market.
The heart of the FISCHERSCOPE® XAN® LIQUID ANALYZER is the highly developed flow measuring cell. Thanks to its innovative design and to durable materials, it is particularly low-maintenance. Thanks to fully automatic preventive rinsing, cleaning and calibration processes, it does not need to be replaced*, which is a clear advantage over other measuring systems and measuring methods. The measuring cell achieves an outstanding lifetime of up to one year*, with separate inlets and outlets considerably simplifying the bath feed and preventing cross-contamination.
"With the FISCHERSCOPE® XAN® LIQUID ANALYZER, we are setting new standards in XRF-based process control for the electroplating industry. Customers can now continuously and reliably monitor and optimize their baths without having to rely on wet chemical analyses or manual spot checks. This not only saves time and money, but also contributes to the sustainable use of consumables – and significantly increases the quality and safety of the coatings", explains Dr. Martin Leibfritz, CEO of Helmut Fischer Group. It doesn’t matter whether it is zinc, nickel, zinc/nickel, gold, chrome, palladium, rhodium, or other solutions. The measuring results are provided and documented in real time so that they can be used for bath control without detours.
The new device with an intuitive touch display can be used as a simple inline measuring device as well as a complex multi-channel inline measuring system with full integration into a local production control system (MES). It has a fieldbus interface that enables connection to higher-level control systems. All this and many other clever features ensure higher process reliability, better coating quality and reduced costs in the industry from now on. Thus, the new FISCHERSCOPE® XAN® LIQUID ANALYZER is the perfect complement for the brand leading FISCHERSCOPE® X-RAY benchtop instruments, with which layers of components can be measured with high precision after coating in the bath.
For more information, please visit: www.helmut-fischer.com/liquid-analyzer
*In a test setup under controlled laboratory conditions with a typical zinc-nickel solution, a lifetime of the measuring cell of over one year was achieved. The lifetime can vary and is individually dependent on the frequency of the rinsing and cleaning cycles, the composition of the coating baths and their temperatures, and the ambient conditions.
